Day 8: Perfect Day on Croker Island

Approach to Croker Island

When we left off our last post, we had just purchased a new "North Channel approved" anchor in Gore Bay, and were headed 14 miles northeast to Croker Island for the night. We had great weather and pretty calm seas for the trip, and loved seeing all the islands on the approach to Croker.

Ben scouting out a good place to anchor

Once we navigated around all the rocks and shallow spots, we were finally inside the harbor. But since it was sorta late in the day by then (4pm), most boats already had their spot at anchor and the anchorage was pretty filled up. We anchored Seapickle outside the harbor and Ben took the kayak out to check depths and find a good spot for us to anchor out for the night.

Anchored to shore

We were in luck that there were actually a few good spots left, so we choose one close to shore and tied our back anchor to shore and put two anchors out front, just to be safe.

Ben swimming out to check the front anchor

Given the scary night we had the last time we anchored out, when both front anchors came loose at night, Ben put on the goggles to swim out and see that the anchor was set good himself before he could relax.

Steve the water snake

While he swam out to check on the anchor I kept a look out for Steve the water snake, who was our first visitor soon after anchoring. Ben thought he would be safe since "snakes can't dive & swim underwater," but Steve soon proved that theory wrong. ;-)

Duck family visitors

Croker Island anchorage

Other side of the island

Seapickle anchored at Croker Island

Ben picking some tiny blueberries for pancakes

As soon as Ben decided we were safe and anchored securely, we hopped in the kayak to explore the island. It was beautiful climbing around the rocks, picking (tiny) blueberries, and just enjoying being in spot we had dreamed about for so many months leading up to this trip.

Favorite game of trip! (Dana wins every time)

Once we felt we had sufficiently explored our surroundings, we settled in for dinner (leftover sloppy joes) and a few games of Phase 10! This turned out to be a great game to take on our trip, especially since Dana won every time!

Sunset-watching spot

Once it was almost time for sunset, around 9pm, we kayaked over to a spot where we could watch the sunset over the Benjamin Islands. Overall, we were thrilled that we made it this far and that we didn't give up. The day we had today and this beautiful sunset made everything worth it, and we're even able to look back on the scary night a couple days before and laugh about it. This is what memories are made of after all, right? :-)

Sunset over Benjamin Islands

Sunset in our anchorage

Day 8: Leaving Blind River for...

Looking up anchors online and agonizing over the decision to stay or leave

One thing we can say about our trip so far is that we've definitely learned a lot about the North Channel that you can only get from experience. Ben spent a lot of time talking with some experienced locals on our dock (including a charter captain named Bill, who is currently writing a book about the North Channel) about what anchors to use, favorite anchorages and what to look out for while navigating. We were still debating back and forth whether to press on further east, or whether to head to familiar waters in Michigan.

Once we realized that every boat in the marina had the same anchor (a Bruce claw style anchor), we decided the first thing we needed to do to continue was see if we could track down one for our boat. The second thing we did was ask Bill, the charter captain, to mark our maps for us to show us the best routes and anchorage for that night. Bill's favorite anchorage is Croker Island in the Benjamin Island group, so that is where we decided we would go (if we could get a new anchor).

Boaters are just so darn nice! After marking our maps for us and showing Ben on his GPS the best way to get to Croker Island, Bill also called Canadian Yacht Charters in Gore Bay for us to see if they had the anchors in stock... and they did! So after breakfast and saying goodbye to all our new friends, our next stop was Gore Bay to buy an anchor, and then hopefully on to Croker Island!

Leaving the safe harbor of Blind River

It was about 30 miles southeast to Gore Bay to buy the anchor, and thankfully the seas were kind to us that morning and we made the trip in a little over an hour. We were allowed to dock for free at the Gore Bay Marina to run up to Canadian Yacht Charters to look for the anchor. We found it, and a few other supplies, and hurried back to the boat to install.

Installing our new Bruce anchor in Gore Bay

Final decision... we are continuing on in the North Channel! Today's destination Croker Island, 14 miles northeast of Gore Bay.

Looks safe so far! Approx. 2pm heading north to Croker Island

Day 7 Beardrop Harbour to Blind River

Blind River was a great marina to stay for the night to relax

 After our "adventure" with rocks in Beardrop Harbour, we decided to head into a marina to get some sleep and figure out the rest of our trip - whether we would press on after all our troubles, or give in and head back towards home. We had stopped in Blind River previously to get fuel and it looked like a nice marina, so we decided to head there for the day/night (plus we were looking forward to drowning our sorrows in Farquahar's ice cream - the local ice cream of choice).

We might as well have been wearing signs that screamed "American" as we rode on our borrowed marina bikes :-)

Our first order of business once we tied up at the marina, we borrowed the marina bikes and rode about a mile into town in search of ice cream. And we were in luck! A little convenience store had lots of choices - I got the Maple Pecan and Ben got something caramel - both were delicious! We found a bench by the river to enjoy our ice cream, then headed back to the boat for a nap before dinner.

Comfort food - Sloppy Joes & Southwest Salad

After a nice long afternoon nap to recover from not sleeping the night before (it's not so comfortable to try to sleep at the helm while your boat is feet away from hitting a rock wall, as Ben found out), I made us some boat-style comfort food. Sloppy Joes (from a can) and southwest salad (generously donated by our Canadian Sea Ray friends!) We discussed our options over dinner, and still hadn't completely decided if we'd be heading back to Michigan the next day or if we'd be pressing on. We were a little stressed over the decision, but so exhausted from our adventures that we decided to sleep on it and see how we felt in the morning.

Sunset at Blind River Marina

Day 6 1/2 Honey Does it Feel Like We're Moving?

By sunset the all day wind had finally stopped, the water was calm, and the stars were out in all their glory. We had just turned out the lights for a much needed slumber when we heard the pennants on the bow of our boat start to rattle again just as they had all day from the west wind. As this rattling started to intensify we popped our head out of the cabin to realize that the wind was now coming at us straight from the east!  At first we weren't concerned considering we had two bow anchors out, plenty of chain and rode out, and one solid line ran to a giant rock on shore.

Within minutes the wind turn to howling gusts and the secure feeling we had turned to panic when we looked into the darkness to see the shapes of rocks we had been climbing on just hours before coming at us at a high rate of speed. With the stern tied to shore the boat was turning sideways to the wind which only helped to increase our speed towards the jagged rocks. As Ben fired up the engine Dana ran for the knife and cut our stern tie. Ben was able to give it enough gas to avoid the large rock directly behind us, but it was too late...we were too close to the rocks, and now to shallow to take a chance with damaging our outdrive in the complete darkness of the night.

When we finally stopped moving we turned on the underwater swim lights to see our final resting spot less than 3 feet from a rock wall. The front anchor had finally grabbed and the skeg of the outdrive was perched in a small notch on top of a rock, and was the only thing preventing us from a further slide down the shore. Ben quickly switched from sleepware to swim trunks and jumped in the cold water to tie another line to shore. This new line and the position of the skeg would hopefully hold us until morning light. Ben who was now soaked, wind blown, and shivering, slept at the helm the rest of the night. If the skeg slipped off the rock he would have to quickly raise the outdrive to prevent further damage. The boat teetered on that rock all night with every gust of wind feeling like it was the one to pull us off the rock and further our nightmarish situation.

When dawn finally broke we assessed our situation and realized the only way to pull the bow in the direction we needed with the wind still blowing was with the help of a power dinghy. We jumped in the kayak and paddled over to a sailboat named "Voyager" that was getting ready to leave but was nice enough to lower their dinghy and give us a hand. Jack from "Voyager" quickly motored over and tied a rope to our bow. As Jack pulled the bow away from the rocks, Ben raised the outdrive to release the skeg from the rock, and Dana used the windlass to pull in the failed anchor. It took the team work of all three of us but it was a success! After a quick inspection of the props and outdrive for damage, we were ready to leave Beardrop harbour for the safety of a dock where we could reassess our currrent situation...and sleep! We pulled out of the Whalesback Channel and set a course for Blind River Marina.

Facing almost 180 degree's the opposite way and next to the rocks

Stopped just in time!!

The perfectly positioned skeg that stopped us from slamming into the rocks

Day 6 Beardrop Harbour

We woke up to a another perfect morning here in Meldrum Bay, but today is the day we have to say goodbye to this lovely little port and move on. Breakfast consisted of Elena's amazing chocolate croissants she had given us the night before when she had opened her store after hours just so we could get some eggs...we're really going to miss this place!

Today the plan is to run to Blind River to purchase some more charts, fuel up, then head due east to the entrance of the Whalesback Channel. This picturesque channel received it's name from a giant rock formation in the middle of the channel that is said to resemble a large whale.

Turtle Rock

As we passed Sanford and Turnbull Islands the rock formations became increasingly more stunning to look at but focus had to be kept on the task at hand which was navigating thru this sometimes treacherous passage. Soon we arrived at the entrance to the Whalesback channel marked by Turtle rock to the starboard side.

Approach to Beardrop Harbour

We slowed our steady cruise to a crawl as we navigated around rocks barely visable under the water, but still perfectly positioned to cause catastrophic damage to our outdrive. Upon entering the opening to Beardrop Harbour we felt almost overwhelmed by the beauty of our surroundings!

Beardrop Harbour

With a stiff west winds blowing we decided to anchor in the western end of the Harbour so the high rock walls would block the winds for us. After setting the anchor Ben quickly hopped in the kayak and ran a line to a large rock on shore.

Kayaking thru Bear Notch

 Once we felt secured in our anchorage we both climbed into the kayak to explore our surroundings. We exited Beardrop Harbour on the kayak through Bear Notch on the southern shore and suddenly found ourselves all alone in one of the most stunning sections of the Whalesback channel. It was a perfect moment when we looked up and saw a huge Bald Eagle soaring overhead.

We explored every little notch and cove we could find and before we knew it we were miles away from our boat. We turned back inland at Bearfall Cove which was connected to our anchorage thru a winding and narrow channel.

With all the paddling, and the last half of it into a strong west wind, we worked up quite the appetite. Ben grilled the chicken breasts and vegetables given to us by our new friends from "Riverwalk" and "Sapphire" we met in Meldrum Bay.

Slow cooked to perfection like our friend Greg back home taught us ;-)

Picture Perfect

After dinner we climbed up the rocks behind our boat to catch what was sure to be a great sunset. The wind had finally subsided, the water flattened out to glass smooth, and as the sun set in an explosion of color. We could only describe this moment as perfect!

Day 5: Boat Fixed & Meldrum Bay Lighthouse

Day 5: At dock in Meldrum Bay

Weather: Alternating sunshine & clouds, little bit of rain

Well today was the big day that the new ignition control module should arrive, and we can see if that fixes the problem with the boat. Lloyd was planning to take us to town to pick it up, but it turns out that harbor master Peggy was getting her hair done in town (Gore Bay), so she picked up the part for us! We waited around anxiously all morning until she returned, and as soon as Ben got the new part in it started right up! We took a testdrive to make sure everything was running smoothly (which it was) and made plans to leave Meldrum Bay for the North Channel the following morning. Since we still had one night left in Meldrum Bay, we took Lloyd up on his offer to drive us over to the Lighthouse for dinner & sightseeing.

Manitoulin Lighthouse - now a museum with campground/restaurant next door

Inside the Lighthouse

The Lighthouse Museum was free to get into (accepting donations) and was very interesting! There were many old/original furnishings and records from the lighthouse keepers over the years.

 

Happily climbing on the rock cliffs outside the Lighthouse

View looking east from edge of Manitoulin Island on Lake Huron side

Ben and Lloyd sitting down for a chat about his old Coast Guard Auxiliary days

Walking out on a rock shelf in Lake Huron

My favorite part of the trip though was climbing on the rock cliffs behind the lighthouse and wading in the water on the rock shelves sticking out into Lake Huron. The campground there looked amazing and we're already making plans to camp there someday.

Stopping to pick raspberries on the side of the road

On the drive back to the marina, we noticed tons of wild raspberries growing on the side of the road, so we couldn't resist pulling over to pick some! We ended up with a good bucket full of these raspberries. Lloyd said he usually goes to pick them every year. We were very sad to say goodbye to Lloyd when he dropped us off back at the marina, but we really hope to visit Meldrum Bay again soon.

Dessert celebration at Meldrum Bay Inn

We had to stop in one more time to say goodbye to Shirin & Elena, and have a celebration dessert at the Meldrum Bay Inn. You couldn't find a more beautiful and welcoming place!

Pier at Meldrum Bay at sunset

 Who knew there were otters in the Great Lakes?!?!

On to the Whalesback Channel tomorrow!